


Broken Shards

by TitanPandora



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, BAMF!North Italy, Blood and Gore, But writing gore is!, M/M, Major Character Injury, Major character death - Freeform, tags aren't my thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-19 21:28:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11322099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TitanPandora/pseuds/TitanPandora
Summary: Arthur is hurt and Alfred doesn’t know what to do, so they sneak into the old mall hoping to find some kind of kit to fix his arm, but they meet a group of survivors that would turn out to be more a dysfunctional family, rather than strangers





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> This is literally my Summer Writing and I'm so excited to share it w/ y'all. Just a heads up this is gonna be pretty gorey and angsty, I have in mind what character I want to kill off, but my lips are sealed for now >:D 
> 
> If you enjoyed the first bit, make sure to leave a review and kudo so I know to keep writing. 
> 
> Check my blog out: [AphGermany'sAss](https://aphgermanysass.tumblr.com/)

The disease started off with scientist being too curious. They had a plan to bring back the dead, but when they were brought back they became aggravated and attacked. It wasn’t until they found out that the dead bodies needed flesh and blood to survive, when they got loose.

A bite from the science experiments gone wrong would infect the living body with a virus. This virus would make the mouth foam and you’d be killed almost instantly, because the urge for flesh was enough to kill a close friend.

Brothers, Arthur and Alfred were together in their flat when the news spread. Lifting a frilly curtain they saw people running in the streets being chased by disfigured humans.

They tried to survive off the food and water in their apartment, but the electricity turned off, then the water, and lastly they ran out of every food item they could store. They only left when their neighbor was infected and broke into their flat.

Alfred shot the son of a bitch with his hunting rifle and they ran out. The streets were stained with blood and the smell of death choked the lungs and burned the nostrils.

The brothers ran as fast as they could to get out of town, but they were stopped when they tried to get under a chain link fence and Arthur got hurt. His arm was split open and the wound was so open you could see the bone. All they could do was wrap it up in a dry shirt and hope for the best.

Arthur was hurt, his arm was bleeding out and he needed medical attention, but everyone was dead and they had no time to find a doctor that wasn't infected with the virus. The last man close to helping them was not so lucky, his body still laid in the abandoned house, head split open and a discolored foam flowing from his open lips.

So the brothers went back to square one, running around like chickens with their heads cut off, searching every building to find  _anyone_ or _anything_ that could help Arthur. 

One night it began pouring and they darted into the shelter of a huge shopping mall. Inside it was musty and the walls were peeling. Alfred took a flash light out of his backpack and shined it around, his other arm wrapped around his brother who was whimpering.

Suddenly a sound caught their ears and Alfred was already reaching for his rifle. With his hands in a cross motion and Arthur trailing behind with his arm under his shirt they traveled deeper into the Walmart.

The huge store looked like a bomb went off, the metal display racks were all thrown around and the freezers in the section of food had been smashed to pieces. Alfred guessed people were more interested in their bats than actually opening the unlocked doors. To Alfred’s much hatred, there was no food. Just a bunch of stupid scraps of bones and some blood, but when they went down the aisle, Alfred found what he was looking for. A first aid kit.

It was practically glowing, he dropped his flashlight and gun to grab the item with Arthur hobbling after him, but then he heard the sound of a gun’s safety being turned off.

He turned around with the flashlight only shining at a pair of boots and the glint of the pistol in the figure’s hand. “Please don’t shoot me!” was all he could get out as he put his hands up, dropping the first aid kit, “my brother is really hurt, please, I’m begging you!”

“How did you get in here,” the voice cut off his rambling.

There was a pause, “through a hole,” Arthur spoke up, “there was one in the front of the store, barely big enough to fit ourselves through.”

A snort was heard, “you must be very injured," he said sarcastically, "you can speak in fluent sentences or maybe you’re just one tough shit.” The gun fell out of position, the sound of the safety clicking was enough for Alfred to dart for the first aid kit and the flashlight. Arthur grabbed his gun off the shelve and put it under his arm as the light shone on the man.

He was thin and taller than both of brothers. Red curls spilled from his head and slumped against his dirty forehead. The clothing he wore on his back had holes the size of a fist, but they were comfortable. With the gun, he set it on his shoulder and gave them a lip smile, “I’m Feliciano, what’s your names,” he stuck out a dirty hand, but Arthur could notice that those hands were once soft and nails done elegantly.

“Alfred,” the blond nodded slotting his hand in the smaller one and shook it with the strength of a lawyer, “and that’s my older brother, Arthur.”

The other hummed and pulled his hand out to run it through his hair, “you two look okay, but I’ll have my husband look at your arm.”

“Husband?” Alfred asked.

Feliciano arched a brow and his smile turned tense, “you homophobic, man?”

“No!” Alfred rushed in, “you just look the kind of person that, I don’t know, I need no man and if I do, I’d shot him,” his voice got smaller and smaller as he kept digging himself deeper into a hole.

Being an absolute angel, he just cackled, putting a hand on his stomach, “that’s wild, but I agree, that’s me. I was a member of the SWAT before this whole thing happened, my husband is a doctor.”

“Really?,” was all he could get out as Feliciano began leading them to the pharmacy counter. The metal shield was pulled down and the little sign told them to come back later. With the gun, Feliciano knocked at the side door and it was opened by a lean man with white hair and red eyes.

As simple as it could be, he motioned Feliciano to come in, but when Alfred went to pass the doorframe a large gun stopped him from going any further, “what’s your name, little man,” he sneered, voice scratchy.

“Let him in to, Gilbert,” Feliciano snapped, “they need to see Ludwig, his brother’s arm is a wreck, looks like a bear attacked him.”

“Or zombie,” The man said all too quickly, but Feliciano rolled his eyes and pulled the gun away from the door. The brothers got in without any second glance and the lean man shut the door and locked it.

Inside there were broken glass and old medicine, in corners were bloody and dirty people with only a lantern at the front letting them see. At the front counter was a man with large muscles and tattoos all down them, he was stuff bullets into the hunting rifle and flicked it up. Arthur visibly flinched when the gun clicked and the man began cleaning the metal.

“You’re back,” a man startled the brothers from watching everyone. He had shaggy blond hair and muscles to rival the tattooed man. He leant down and put an arm around Feliciano who crossed his arms, they looked intimidating.

Without introductions, Feliciano explained the situation and the man told them to come back to his office.

Through another locked and guarded door, the blond passed through with no stop, but Arthur and Alfred were stopped every second and looked down at with no sympathy. Alfred knew not to take it personally, this whole situation would be enough to make you look a little harder at two harmless brothers.

“How you doing Francis,” The blond man greeted another as he stepped into the office, this man was thinner than the other’s with his blond hair pulled back in a messy bun. In a sling was his right arm, but looking a little closer, Alfred noticed that he really didn’t have a right arm, more like a right stump.

With judging eyes, he nodded, “better than usual, what’s their problem.”

“Shaggy’s arm is cut open,” Feliciano jumped on the desk and sat on it.

“Did you check if it’s a bite?”

“That’s what we are checking now.”

Breath was slow in the room as the huge doctor unwrapped the slightly damp and bloody shirt from Arthur’s arm and the smell of open wound filled the room. Alfred couldn’t even psychically look at the huge cut without finding his throat fill with vomit.

“How did this happen?” He asked with his fair brows folding together in confusion as he pressed the shirt back to the wound to mop up the oils and blood.

Arthur clenched his teeth together, outright whining in discomfort, “a fence, I went under it.”

“Snagged you good,” the man finished quickly, “I’ll sew this up, but this looks infected. After you got this, did you clean it.”

“We were running from a hoard, do you think we could stop to spray from antibiotic on it?” He snapped back, taking the arm back to cradle it to his chest.

“I was simply asking, I’m the one helping you so a bit of respect would be nice,” a snarl passed his throat like some kind of dog. Alfred took a hold of Arthur’s good shoulder and Feliciano clicked the safety of his gun. “Watch them, if they act up shoot for his knee.” And with that, the doctor left to get supplies.

“Bad move on the board, shaggy,” stumpy smirked walking from the wall he was hiding in.

“You know what, bite me fuckface,” Arthur sneered.

“Both of you, shut the hell up!” Feliciano slapped his hand on the desk, a dull ring filling the small room, “how about we don’t piss Ludwig off, lets all do that.”

Francis smile was like knives as he leant back on the tiled wall, “we all know he can’t hurt you, because you’re his favorite.”

“Well sure, I got the ring and you got a sling, who wins this situation.”

Ludwig ended the conversation when he came back in the room with a bottle of whiskey, some duct tape, gauze, and floss. Through an hour of nonstop pain of alcohol being dumped on the large cut and being sewn together with some minty floss. To end the pain, he wrapped his arm and then taped it up all the way up to his hand.

“Don’t use this hand for anything,” Ludwig stressed as he gave Arthur back his arm, “I’ll look at this in a week, but until then just go easy on it.”

Before Arthur could snap another snarky remark, the door to the office opened and the boy with tattoos came rushing in, “hoard, a half dozen are outside, we need to go.”

“You mean leave?” Feliciano asked jumping down from the desk, “but how, we have a fucking mess of people who don’t even know how to shoot a gun, Antonio!”

“Who cares! We need to leave now or it will hurt harder than usual.”

Ludwig turned to the brother, “do you know how to man a gun?”

They nodded together and looked at each other. Running again, damn. Alfred was starting to like this place.


	2. Are You Christian?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A question hangs in the air, is Alfred feeling Christian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole chapter is fucking blasphemy so if you are super Christian don't flip. It's an analogy of being weak and believing in God, when the world is ending so... 
> 
> Check out my blog!: [APHGERMANYSASS](https://aphgermanysass.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [today is my birthday (July 1st) so review and kudo!!!

Alfred tried to keep calm, but with everyone running around like chickens with their heads cut off, it was kind of hard not to panic. Feliciano had gotten off the metal desk and was now packing an army green backpack with some canned food and he had a pistol that he stuffed in there. Arthur was trying to stay back so he wasn't in the line of getting hit, Francis was stalking around like some kind caged animal, his stump hidden under a heavy coat that Ludwig threw at them. Wearing the coat weighed down his shoulders and made him look even more sickly than he felt. The guy with the plant tattoos, Arthur thought his name was Antonio, was arming a very pregnant woman with a small hunting gun, her husband, a man sitting next to her, took the gun and nodded, putting it in the inside pocket of his jacket.

"Antonio!" A voice yelled, the backdoor in the office space opened heavily, the heavy metal door slamming against the wall breaking the paper thin plaster. Arthur had never seen this guy before, he had fair skin and thick hair that was soaking wet from the horrible storm raging outside. In heavy hands, he dropped the large machine gun and practically collapsed on the office floor. Antonio was running forward, missing the falling boy, but fell to his knees to collect him.

There was gasp as the boy's hand went to grasp at his chest, a spurt of blood lining his pale lips and dripping down his chin. "Oh my God," the man practically sobbed. Ludwig was down on the floor as best as he could, his hands already crimson from ripping the younger's hand off his chest and looking at the wound. It was about four inches deep and was gushing. Feliciano watched the scene with almost tired eyes as he watched the boy die on the floor, his breath stopping and the whole room got silent.

"He was a good kid," Ludwig said solemnly as he stood up and repeated the time from his watch and stepped into the office to pull out a book. Inside were names and times and a sickening drop happened in Arthur's stomach, this man was marking the deaths.

"We need to go!" Feliciano's voice was overheard, Francis and Arthur peeking out to see him talking to another refugee of humans who didn't want to leave.

Antonio was sitting on the floor, his tattooed arms covered in blood, in one of the corners of the large room came over a smaller boy with big glasses, he sat beside him and took the bloody hands to intertwine them with his clean one's. "It's time to go, Antonio," the boy whispered patiently until the bigger man was able to get up and they went to the scary dark corner to wash his hands off with muddy brown water.

"Lovino knows what's best," Francis said suddenly with a frown, "oh sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm just nervous, this whole shitty situation makes me want to slit my wrists and jump in a hole," Arthur responded bitterly.

Any sane person would question Arthur's mental stability, but all the man did was laugh, "don't we all have one foot stuck in a grave."

"Yeah."

Standing at the front of the room, Feliciano plugged one of his ears and shot the rifle in the ceiling. Everyone got really quiet as the dust poured out of the wound in the ceiling, "we move out in five, if you want to die stay here, not on my conscious," he glared at the group of people in the back and turned to Alfred, "I hate Christians."

"Wow, aren't you joyous," the blond snickered.

When they were ready to leave they had a small group, Feliciano and Ludwig, Arthur, Alfred, Francis, and those two creepy scragglers, Mr. Bloody Hands and the Therapist. The pregnant woman and her husband hung around the center while those people, who Alfred believed were Christian, were not coming and Feliciano wasn't having it. He was like a child, taking their weapons and food supplies, he left nothing behind to just cement the fact that he was a safe house and these people would be nothing without him. Feliciano was the last to leave with his pack the heaviest.

Through the heavy backdoor of the office they climbed through a long, damp corridor filled to the brim with outdated medicine and something outright gag worthy of a ripped apart corpse. That only set in that the zombies had gotten in at one point and the kid that died out there wasn't the only thing left for dead.

Behind one of the box was a man looking sickly and he had a knife, the weapon to kill that kid. Alfred was ready to run, but Feliciano grabbed him by the collar of his shot and with one hand he shot the fucker down with a headshot. "Be on your toes, soldier," he sneered putting the gun in the holster on his chest and ran to catch up to Ludwig so they could intertwined their hands.

"Weirdest couple I have ever met," Alfred muttered to Arthur who smiled bitterly.

"A modern Bonnie and Clyde."

A thump of boxes got everyone attention, but it just ended up being Ludwig moving a few to get through another heavy metal door. A woosh of cold air hit the group, a shiver going down Arthur's spine. It was practically pitch black, the only light they could rely on was the moon that lit up the heavy droplets and shiny black top. They traveled out like a pack of animals, Feliciano leading with his machine gun and the Therapist guy walking backwards with his gun. Ludwig was taking right and Bloody Hands was taking left which left Arthur, Francis, Alfred, Pregnant woman, and her husband to walk in the protective circle.

The sound of a clasp of the safety clicking on was enough for Arthur to regret this whole situation to happen, his breath catching as he watched as a disfigured human come barreling forward, the Therapist guy was shooting at him, but it didn't go down and with a sicken rip he fell back and screamed. Bloody Hands shot the man down and grabbed Therapist guy by his armpits and began dragging him across the ground. They were running now, feet slamming against the slippery pavement and breath mingling in little clouds. The rain pounded on their faces and clothing, almost able to drown out the Therapist guy's screaming of agony as he clutched at his face, withering against the ground in pain. There was another cry for help as the pregnant woman was grasp from behind and throat sliced open, the husband just stood there with a face of horror. Even when Alfred tried to pull him away, he stood there like a wall and he left him.

"Go! Go! Go!" Feliciano screamed lifting up a tree branch so everyone could go through before slipping under and grabbing the Therapist guy's legs so he and Antonio could run faster. It felt like hours of running, Francis sounded like he was dying and Alfred had collapsed in the mud, his pants becoming firmer, but his shoes were filled to the brim with mud.

"Ludwig! We need to stop! Lovino is hurt!" Feliciano cried, tears in his eyes.

Panting up front was the one man that could help the other, "Feliciano! We aren't safe, we are too close to the store!"

"Ludwig! Please we need to stop!" Antonio was a panting mess of sobs.

Finally, they stopped, Ludwig pulling out a flashlight and sitting beside Lovino (Therapist guy, Arthur learned his name) and ripped the hand away from his face. It was sickening, three huge cuts were across the other's face, the skin pulled up and his nose was hanging just by the cartilage. Lovino's left eye was swollen shut with the biggest of the three cuts going across the eye socket. "I can't see!" Lovino screamed, "Antonio! I can't see!"

The tattooed man shushed the other while choking back sobs. Ludwig was trying to clean up the sticky wound, careful around the other's sensitive eyes and broken nose. "Those zombies, they got claws," Feliciano explained bitterly, "they are like cats, they got my brother good."

"Why are you so calm in this situation!" Arthur gasped, breath quickening.

Honey brown eyes turned to the other with a tired expression, "Someone has to be."

With some floss and lots of band aids, Ludwig was able to patch up all the cuts and set Lovino's nose with pliers and popsicle sticks. Carefully, he placed two large bandages over the swelling eyes and instructed Antonio to carry Lovino the rest of the way.

They would walk until sunrise, the woods being lit by the sun that seemed to mock them in all ways possible. With light, Arthur was able to see that everyone looked like hell, they looked tired, drained, and all possibly, dead. He tried to avoid looking at Lovino, just to see the scars that would be across his face and now loss of vision. When they stopped for water at high noon, Ludwig came to the conclusion that Lovino would never see again, his left eye socket was broken and both eyes were slashed open.

Yet, as the news was shared nobody shed a tear, not even Lovino. He just accepted fate and clung to Antonio who buried his face in the other's hair and whispered words of encouragement. At early morning, they stopped to eat breakfast which was canned corn that was passed around. The cold slush felt good in Arthur's stomach.

When the sun started setting that's when he lost it.

"What, are we all just going to keep going!" Arthur screamed running his good hand through his hand, "what are your problem! Lovino can't see and we are just going to accept that!"

"Arthur," Lovino said in his quiet voice, his head turned and Arthur felt the other's eyes on him, "it's okay, I'm okay."

"You shouldn't be okay with it, you all are fucking insane, I'm sorry Alfred I can't be here anymore."

Alfred stopped, his eyebrows going up, "where are you going Arthur! You can't leave!"

"And who's going to stop me," Arthur challenged standing tall.

"I will," Francis deadpanned.

With a huge sigh and a growl, Arthur turned left and started walking away. Francis chased after him, but when Alfred went to go after him he was grabbed by the collar. With a hand clenched in his collar was Feliciano who had his eyes downcast, "he will drag us down, come on Alfred."

"He is my family!" He tried to counter.

Crossing his arms, Feliciano cracked his knuckles one by one before glancing up, "family is everything, but family stays by each other. They don't hide when things get rough."

"Why are you saying this now! He's my brother!"

"If he was your brother would he leave you stranded with strangers! Think about that Alfred! Chose who you want, safety or your asshole brother who has done nothing, but complain!"

A tree swished in the wind and Alfred felt all his breath being taken from his body. He stared at Feliciano with tears in his eyes, "I'm not Christian," he told the older man.

"Good," Feliciano snapped and turned around, "keep up soldier."

And they went back to walking, Alfred glancing back every so often, maybe he would see his brother's familiar head of pale hair or Francis's stupid man-bun, but all he saw was more trees and Antonio bumbling along with Lovino.

When the sun was completely down, they stopped at a clearing and started a fire. Ludwig got out more canned corn which he cooked over the fire before they started passing it around. Alfred took the can from Lovino's hands and stuffed the spoonful of corn in his mouth, before passing it to Ludwig who ate the rest.

He was startled when a warm hand grasped his palm, he looked up to see Lovino's bandaged face looking in the general direction of his face, "tell me your story, Alfred, who are you?" he asked with a soft voice, the pad of his finger tracing the lines on his palm, "as Feliciano said, Family doesn't leave you stranded for strangers, so let us stop being strangers."

Hesitantly, the boy answered, "If I tell you who I am, will you tell me about you?"

"Absolutely, now please go ahead, the floor is yours."

Alfred didn't know everyone was staring at him, their dark faces lit by the flames of the fire and another can of something green was being passed around. He stared at his hands trying to figure out something to say to these people, "I am Alfred Jones, I am an orphan, my mom and dad adopted me, Arthur being their biological son. He brought me under his wing, but we fought a lot, Mum always said we fought like the revolutionary war," he laughed under his breath awkwardly, "I worked as a mechanic, down at some old druggie's garage, until my parents died and I lived with Arthur until I could go back to work, my parents death hit me really hard, but then the disease broke out and me and Arthur were stuck at home until our elderly neighbor came rushing in with a crowbar and almost bashed out my brains. Push came to shove and now I'm here."

"I'm sorry for your parents, I sensed sadness in your soul," Lovino whispered his face turning to the direction of Feliciano, "I am Lovino and you've met my twin brother Feliciano. I am a medium, I can speak to ghosts and Feliciano's job was in the SWAT,"

"People like psychics," Feliciano butt in with the green shit in his mouth, "Lovino was paid thousands just to talk to people about dead parents and animals. I'm just surprise he didn't sense your parents,"

"No brother, I sensed it, I just didn't want to be rude, now where was I. Oh yes, Feliciano worked in the SWAT and that was a dangerous job, he got shot during a drug house bust and that's how he met Ludwig while he was healing. I met my Antonio during a dance class," his hand patted around until Antonio just came in and held it for him.

The blond snickered, "you don't look a dancing man."

"I should tell you I've won awards," Antonio announced pseudo-pompously, "nah, I competed a little, but it went out when I opened my tattoo shop. I went back to classes that Lovino taught and we started competing together in tango."

Feliciano gasped with a hand over his heart, "Oh you should've seen them, Alfred! Lovino and Antonio tangoing is like a paint brush across a canvas! It's amazing!"

"I'll need to watch one day," Alfred smiled pleasantly, maybe when Lovino was feeling better he could tango, that would be sweet, "how are you feeling, Lovino?" he asked.

The dark haired man just squeezed his hand looking in the general direction, "Better, it's a dull pain. I've gotten use to not seeing, if I was still in business I would get so many customers."

"The blind psychic, he sees with his third eye," Feliciano passed Antonio the can of green beans and rolled his eyes putting his head on Ludwig's shoulder, "tell us a funny story, Ludwig. I think we all need to lighten up."

"What kind of funny story?" the stoic man asked, "I've had many funny experiences, being a doctor I've seen everything to dicks being stuck in machines and a drunk man that threw himself into a cactus."

"That was Gilbert!" Feliciano smiled, "where is he?"

"He stayed behind, to stay with your Christian, I hope we see him again."

Everything got awkward again. Lovino announced they should probably go to sleep so they laid down around the fire, the gun in Alfred's hand was close to his chest as he prayed that nothing was going to come in his sleep and kill him. Maybe he was wrong, maybe he was feeling a bit Christian. 


	3. Patient Zero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The survivors head to the Hospital where Ludwig worked to create the virus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a short chapter, on Friday I'm heading on vacation so make sure to throw me a review if I should continue writing through my lil beach trip :3

"Get up," Alfred was rudely awaken by being hauled off the warm ground by someone gripping his collar. He protested, opening an eye to see Feliciano with a terrifyingly serious face. God, that man had him whipped. Ludwig was stripping his gun really quick, clicking it together on a log, Antonio was cooking a can on the now large fire, while Lovino sat on the log with his hands palm up, meditating Alfred thought.

Taking a look he narrowed his eyes at the man and crossed his arms, "you could just shake me."

"Oh, I tried," Feliciano sneered handing him his gun, "I took away that gun out of your clenched hands and Antonio even kicked in the goddamn gut, you weren't waking up anytime soon."

All Alfred could get out was a silent 'oh' and looked away bashfully. Ludwig finally put his gun back together with a satisfying click together and put it on his back, "Let's go, we are three miles away from the hospital."

"The hospital?"

"The Hospital that created the virus," Lovino hummed, opening his eyes, the whites of his eyes were bright red and the cornea was sliced open. The other side of his face was horribly swelled up, it was like a blackish blue with the eyes closed. You couldn't really see the slice through the swelling, but it looked painful, "viventem vasa pretiosa, that's the posh name for that horrible virus, but it means Living Vessel."

"I worked there," Ludwig deadpanned, snuffing out the fire with his boot, "I helped make that virus, but you know what they didn't tell us,"

"What?" Alfred's voice quivered.

"It was going to be tested on humans. We worked on rats, monkeys, even fucking hamsters and after the injection they'd go into a rampage, but suddenly they instructed us to put on some protective gear and go test it on a comatose patient, after a year of research."

Just the sound of the way of Ludwig's speech, Alfred could tell he regretted even testing the virus. The way his eyes moved, how pale his face was, he looked absolutely sick. "What are we going to do when we get to the hospital?"

"A cure," Feliciano took his hand and squeezed them together.

There was a snort from Antonio, but the look on everyone's face was as serious as serious came. Alfred felt safe, yet also reckless. Here he was with the HERO 4, but at the same time, instead of going with his smart older brother, he sat with the nuclear bombs. "Let's go," his face determined. It was the grin on Feliciano's face that set his scene to a T.

They all left at Sun up, staying low to the ground and passing around a scalding hot can of watery corn. Alfred hadn't noticed how skinny he was until he devoured two spoonfuls of the corn and wondered when there would be a third. His body had concaved, yet also wasn't craving as much as he usually did.

Words weren't really in the ground this morning, there was just the noise of birds and the crunch of leaves under their boots. Stopping wasn't an option, they were so close to the Hospital that Feliciano started pointing at street sounds. It took one last turn and Ludwig was pulling down a huge leaf to show the building.

The headquarters. Patient zero. It was a huge white building with broken glass and a dying fountain at front. Instead of shooting water from the fish, there was a body lying in the pool, spreading across old blood.

Outside wee Vessels, not Zombies. Ludwig explained that the virus simply went into the body and started the heart from a sonic beat. Inside, the person was already brain dead, so it really wasn't a person. They were simply a person runned by the heart. With the body being brain dead, it didn't tell the heart to pump blood nor breath, so the Vessels got blood a different way and that was through the contact of people. The virus that had infected the body was also uber cautious, if any body fluids got into an open wound, example being a Vessel biting you to take in your blood, you would be infected and show symptoms. If your friends were smart they'd kill you before the virus shuts your brain off, truly some people weren't that smart.

Around the top floor, Alfred watched as a Vessel stumbled across the ground, it looked like the back foot was lame. "How are we going in?"

"Recklessly, I sense," Lovino snarled.

Feliciano stood tall, his body screamed decision making and wanting to back out, "Lovino, I want you to stay back."

"Stay back?" He spat like it was vulgar, "stay back? Little brother do you see me as being weak, my vision may be gone, but I still can sense the Vessels."

"But you're still blind! Just listen to me!" The other screamed, tears in his eyes. It got silent, goddamn Feliciano had alerted the Vessels crawling around the fence of the Hospital. Everyone turned to the other who's cheeks were bright red in embarrassment.

"Great going, Feliciano, there goes our element of surprise," Antonio snarled grabbing him roughly by the shoulder, "maybe you should just stay here, since you appointed yourself, fucking leader!"

"We all can't be leaders, so why don't you back down!"

"Shut up!" Ludwig shouted grabbing Feliciano by the back of his army jacket and pushed Antonio away, "we are going in no matter. All of you shut the hell up and let's go! Who cares, we weren't ever going to surprise them!"

Antonio looked at Feliciano with a glare and Lovino crossed his arms. They all started out, Ludwig shooting the two stragglers who were searching through the forest and the two guards at the door. Their heads exploded with the keen shot to the head, precise on everything order, almost too precise. Alfred stared at Ludwig who brushed away a line of sweat on his forehead and breathed shakily before crashing through the glass doors.

Inside it was a massacre, blood was dripping from the walls and bodies hung everywhere. "Fresh blood," Lovino had his hand in a puddle of blood on the counter, "it's still warm."

"You think the Vessels just took over this building?" Ludwig asked slinging the gun on his back.

Lovino lifted his hand, the crimson dripping off his long finger and beside the man lying on the counter, that's until he lunged. It was like in slow motion as the presumed dead man gasped, red teeth baring and Lovino pulling away. It was terrifying as all the people just started rising, All together with limbs gone and skin gooey, pulling apart by their faces and arms. They all had bites on their necks, you could tell by the perfect oval of teeth, but it seemed they were injected before being eaten.

A man looked at Alfred, his chest clean open, his intestines spilling out like a waterfall while another man with head cracked open, his brain looked like a bunch of maggots fed on it and left it shriveled up. Hands were everywhere, a woman wearing a cleanly pressed pant suit grasped at his arm while a portly man grabbed him by his thigh. Everything was crawling with prickles and discomfort.

Lifting his gun, with a perfect shot he blew the man's brain's out. The blood shot forward, coating his face in a sheen of splatters and the man practically crippled to the ground. Everyone was shooting, it was an all frenzy to be safe. By the fifth shot, Alfred was grabbed by his arm and he noticed it was Ludwig. They fled to the side of the building, the large man getting the door open to a large staircase, this was clean of any bodies. They climbed the stairs leaving behind the others, Alfred wanted to ask where they were going, but he knew that was a stupid question. Ludwig was looking for something in this building and he knew exactly what he wanted.

He knew exactly what doors to open and what doors to break down. On the second floor there was a perfect outlook to the fountain, tinted red with the man's blood. Ludwig grabbed him and brought him to the middle door. After jiggling the doorknob and pulling it off the door, Ludwig pushed the door open and snuck inside, gun pressed to his chest. Inside the room, it looked like a stereotypical testing lab with a big fridge that Ludwig threw open.

Picking up a little bottle, he stared at it like it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "The antidote," Ludwig whispered bringing it to the light.

Extending his arm, he gave the jar to Alfred who slid it in his coat pocket and looked up. There was grunt and to the younger man's horror he watched as red blossomed from Ludwig's chest, just the tip of the knife sticking out. He caught him, before he could fall over, a man was behind him with sullen eyes and a whimsical smile, "I don't know you," the boy stalked around Alfred who held Ludwig, "Are you a scientist here?"

"You're patient zero," Alfred said dumbly, "Stay away!" And he ran, dragging the other down the steps, trying to get away from the man with the pale blond hair and the face of death. When he got into the foyer, he dropped Ludwig, everyone crowding around.

Feliciano was first, grabbing ahold of the man's face and his eyes pouring with tears. Tired blue eyes opened, a bloody hand lifting from the chest wound and wrapping around the other, their rings mockingly shined in the light. "Hey, hey?" Ludwig's voice was hoarse, his lips tinted red from blood and skin cold. Antonio was working on the wound, his hand pressing against the whole and Lovino violently pulling out gauze, through a sickening cough he smiled, "Remember the day we met?" he asked.

"Ludwig, no, don't do this, you'll be okay," Feliciano sobbed. This was the first time Alfred had personally seen the man break down, he seemed so calm.

"I remember meeting you, sitting on the bed with a bullet in your arm and your first words were, 'when am I going back to work?' and I knew that I already loved you," A lone tear streaked his pale face, the bloody hand smearing the cheekbone of Feliciano. It was like slow motion as his eyes rolled back in his head, his last breath audible. The once sullen and composed soldier screamed, grasping the other by his shoulder and shaking the dead man. Alfred hooked his hand under Feliciano's armpits and pulled him away from Ludwig, kicking and screaming.

He had to move Feliciano's face so he would look in his eyes, "Patient zero is upstairs! We need to leave!"

"Not without Ludwig! No! NO!"

"He's dead!" Antonio screamed, "we need to go Feliciano!"

And that left them, dragging the man away from the building as he sobbed for his dead husband. They practically had to pull Feliciano away from the hospital like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

When they were safe, Alfred fished in his pocket, staring at the glass bottle with a murky white liquid inside. What could be so important about this little bottle?


End file.
